Honestly, what really sounds appealing to me is to be with Paige, maybe out on a picnic or something. It sounds more than appealing, actually. It's been a couple of days since our little tryst in her shop and I can't stop thinking about it. Or her. The idea of being out among the tall trees, making love to her under this gorgeous Washington sky – the mere thought of it is enough to get me hard.
It's a nice thought, but given that it's been a couple of days and I haven't heard a peep from her, makes me think that she's regretting it. Or perhaps, she's not as into me as I want to believe. I don't know what's going through her mind. All I know is that there's something about her I can't shake. Something that draws me to her and won't let me go.
It's a feeling I'm not used to. One that I've never experienced before – not even with Brittany. I was madly in love with Brittany, but I never felt the sheer compulsion to be with her that I do with Paige. It's maddening because it's so unexpected. That woman has a hold on me that honestly, freaks me out a little bit.
I need to put the situation and Paige out of my mind though. There is work to be done. I turn and walk back to my desk, dropping down into my seat and fire up my computer. I sort through the emails and see nothing of real import, so I move on to the next item on my agenda.
I type out a quick email to Ted, Brubaker, and the rest of the concerned parties, putting together a preliminary schedule for demolition and groundbreaking for the multi-use structure we're building. I actually have a few new ideas that popped into my head for the building and I want to meet with everybody before we do anything, just to feel them out and get their opinion.
With that done, I look over some paperwork and sign what is required to get the crew's clearance to work on a few projects down in Oregon and California. I look up at the sound of my office door opening and nod when I see Adam stepping through.
“How are you doing, Liam?” he asks as he closes the door behind him.
I stand up and walk around my desk, shaking his hand. “Doing well, thanks,” I say. “Please, come on in.”
I lead him over to the couches and he takes a seat, dropping his bag at his feet, as I walk over to the sideboard and pour us a couple of drinks. I walk back and hand him his glass before taking my seat on the sofa across from him. We silently toast one another and take a sip. He smiles and looks at the amber colored liquid admiringly.
“I'll make sure to get you a bottle or two for your birthday,” I say with a grin.
“I'd appreciate that a lot,” he says.
Holding my glass, I lean back on the sofa and cross my legs. As much as I like Adam, this isn't a social call. We have some business to discuss, and I thought it would be better-handled face-to-face rather than with a phone call.
“So, I talked to the PD,” he says. “A Detective Matthews was assigned to your case.”
I nod. “Yeah, I spoke to him briefly,” I say. “He took my statement and said he'd get back to me. That was days ago, and I haven't heard a peep.”
“Right,” Adam says. “I talked to my contact down in the crime lab and they ran the fingerprints on the knife, but it came up empty.”
“Damn.”
“That was my first reaction too,” he says. “But, I got a copy of the print card and took it to another friend of mine. I rolled the dice, hoping that maybe, just because your attacker wasn't in a criminal database, maybe he'd pop up in another one.”
“And?” I ask as Adam takes another sip of his drink. “Did he pop up somewhere else?”
Adam nods. “He did indeed,” he says. “US Army, actually. His name is – are you ready for this? – Travis Waltham.”
“You are fucking kidding me.”
Adam shakes his head. “Serious as a heart attack,” he says. “Your former wife's boyfriend is the one who attacked you in that alley.”
“Son of a bitch.”
“Yeah,” he says. “According to what I was able to find out, Waltham was dishonorably discharged after sixteen months of service for striking a superior officer. Apparently, he beat the guy so bad, he put him in the hospital. The guy almost died, from what I was told. Did six months in the brig and then they booted him out of the service.”
I take a long swallow of my drink and stand up. The anger within me is bubbling up once more and I start pacing my office, trying to diffuse some of it. It can't be a coincidence that on the night Brittany tracked me down at Grady's, that her boyfriend – one with a violent, criminal past – attacked me in that alley.
“Son of a bitch,” I repeat, my voice tight with anger. “They were right.”
“Who was right?”
I turn and look at Adam. “Paige and my brother, Brayden,” I say. “They both tried to tell me it wasn't a coincidence. They both thought Brittany had something to do with the attack.”
“Sounds like they were right,” he says. “Who's Paige? If you don't mind my asking.”
At the mention of her name, a flood of memory fills my mind, completely unbidden. The sound of her voice lingers in my mind. And all of the sudden, my senses are overwhelmed by the scent and taste of her. The feel of her skin against mine.
I clear my throat and try to push it all away. I can't afford to indulge in my memories right now. There's too much shit going on that needs my full and complete attention. Like the fact that my soon-to-be ex-wife is probably trying to kill me.
“She's a – friend,” I say.
Adam gives me a knowing look – the same sort of look Brayden had given me when he questioned me about Paige. Obviously, I'm not doing a good enough job of containing my thoughts or feelings about her. Not that I even know what they are at this point.
“Anyway,” I say, “I'm assuming what you found out isn't something we'll be able to use. Legally speaking.”
Adam sighs and leans back on the sofa. “Unfortunately, no,” he says. “I can't reveal the sources of my information because it's in something of a – gray area.”
“Understood,” I say. “We'll just have to go about this another way.”
“Any ideas about that?”
I shake my head and give him a wry chuckle. “Not at the moment,” I say. “But, I need to talk to my lawyer. I still have her listed as the beneficiary on everything. I never thought to take her off.”
“Well, that's something of an oversight,” Adam says and chuckles.
“Yeah, tell me about it,” I say. “One that I will be correcting as soon as I can contact my lawyer.”
Adam drains the last of his drink, so I walk back to the sideboard, grab the bottle, and give him a refill. He looks at the glass and grins.
“Given that it's barely noon, I probably shouldn't,” he says.
I shrug. “I'm the boss. I say it's fine,” I reply. “A little liquid grease for the gears. I find a little lubrication gets the mind working better.”
“Good enough for me.”
I pace my office again, sipping my drink as I play through everything in my mind.
“Even if you do contact your lawyer and get that ball rolling,” Adam says. “Given your assets and the complicated nature of everything, it's probably going to take a little time to get it all worked out. She's going to be your beneficiary for a little while yet.”
“Which means that until I have her removed –”
“She's probably going to keep trying.”
“Which leaves me in a jam,” I say. “I can't go to the cops with what I know. But, if I don't do something, she's going to keep coming at me.”
“Bingo,” he says. “Have you considered hiring personal security? I know a couple of guys who –”
I shake my head. “No, I'm not going to be doing that,” I say. “I don't want a bodyguard shadowing me everywhere I go.”
Adam nods. “I can understand that,” he says. “But, it could be the difference between staying alive and catching a knife in the back.”
I finish the last of my drink and look at the bottle on the sideboard. I know I probably shouldn’t but decide to have another drink anyway. I pour myself a glass and then raise the bottle to Adam, offering another refill. He shakes his head and raises his still half-filled drink.